M. Tullius Cicero, De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites, ed. Albert Curtis Clark, 47

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[47] reliquum est ut de felicitate quam praestare de se ipso¹ nemo potest, meminisse et commemorare de altero possumus², sicut aequum est homines de potestate deorum, timide et pauca dicamus. ego enim sic existimo, maximo, Marcello, Scipioni, Mario ceterisque³ magnis imperatoribus non solum propter virtutem sed etiam propter fortunam saepius imperia mandata atque exercitus esse commissos. fuit enim profecto quibusdam summis viris quaedam ad amplitudinem et ad gloriam et ad res magnas bene gerendas divinitus adiuncta fortuna. de huius autem hominis felicitate quo de⁴ nunc agimus hac utar moderatione dicendi, non ut in illius potestate fortunam positam esse dicam sed ut praeterita meminisse, reliqua sperare videamur, ne aut invisa dis immortalibus oratio nostra aut ingrata esse videatur.

De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites. M. Tullius Cicero. ed. Albert Curtis Clark. Oxford. 1908.

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Current edition Perseus

De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites (Latin) (Cicero. M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes, Volume 1. Clark, Albert Curtis, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908.)

Translations (1)

In Defense of the Proposed Manilian Law Perseus (Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, Volume 2. Yonge, Charles Duke, translator. London: Bell, 1856.) — 47 focus

[47]
It remains for me timidly and briefly to speak of his good fortune, a quality which no man ought to boast of in his own case, but which we may remember and commemorate an happening to another, just as a man may extol the power of the gods. For my judgment is this, that very often commands have been conferred upon, and armies have been entrusted to Maximus, to Marcellus, to Scipio, to Marius, and to other great generals, not only on account of their valour, but also on account of their good fortune. For there has been, in truth, in the case of some most illustrious men, good fortune added as some contribution of the gods to their honour and glory, and as a means of performing mighty achievements. But concerning the good fortune of this man of whom we are now speaking, I will use so much moderation as not to say that good fortune was actually placed in his power, but I will so speak as to appear to remember what is past, to have good hope of what is to come; so that my speech may, on the one hand, not appear to the immortal gods to be arrogant, nor, on the other hand, to be ungrateful.

Notes on the current edition

De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites

1. ipse H

2. possimus E π

3. ceterisque H: et ceteris cett.

4. quo de de quo E

Commentary

Notes on The Manilian Law (Select Orations of Cicero (Allen and Greenough's Edition). Greenough, James Bradstreet; Kittredge, George Lyman, editors. Boston, London: Ginn & Company, 1897.) focus

felicitate : in this quality is implied a special favor of the gods, which it would be presumptuous to arrogate to one's self (hence timide), although Sulla had done so by assuming the cognomen Felix (see Rosc. Am., sect. 12 , p. 6, l. 7 , and note).

saepius , repeatedly: Marius was consul seven times.

fuit (emphatic), there really has been; § 598 , d (2) (344, d, 2).

hac moderatione : a shorthand expression for hoc modo moderato, in which moderato would refer merely to the result clause ut videamur.

non ut (not to be confounded with ut non), etc., i.e. not of such a kind as to say, etc., but such, etc.

invisa : because presumptuous.

M. Tullius Cicero De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites 47

ed. Albert Curtis Clark

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